Coronavirus 411 - 082120

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Friday August 21st, 2020.

Remember how there was a change where COVID numbers should be reported to Health and Human Services instead of the CDC? Never mind. The Department is turning responsibility for data collection back to the CDC.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana confirmed yesterday he tested positive, and he’s a doctor. At least 15 other members of the House and Senate have tested positive or are presumed to have had COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

South Dakota health officials warned several who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally have indeed come down with COVID-19. The Health Department didn’t give the exact number of positive cases but did say it was under 25.

NYC released the results of about 1.5M antibody tests that appear to confirm lower income communities were deeply affected. Hardest-hit was Corona, Queens and Borough Park, Brooklyn. Wealthier neighborhoods fared much better, no ZIP code below 96th Street in Manhattan had positive antibody results over 20%.

India counted another record number of new infections as it ramped up testing to more than 900,000 a day. The country also reported 977 fatalities in 24 hours. India has the world's second-highest population of 1.4B people.

The World Health Organization has apparently started talking with Russia to learn more about their experimental vaccine that country approved. It has not passed advanced trials to prove it works before being licensed, which is a breach of scientific protocol.

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.

Hotspots displaying faster rates of growth as of August 21st, according to The New York Times: Top 10 U.S. counties: Lafayette and Suwannee Counties Florida. Chicot, Lincoln and Lee Counties, Arkansas. Phillips, Montana. Pawnee, Kansas. Stephens, Texas. Haywood, Tennessee. And Chattahoochee, GA. Globally, the current hotspots are: Aruba, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, Peru, Bahrain, Maldives, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, and the Bahamas.

There’ve been 5,573,501 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 174,248 deaths. There were 46,436 new cases reported yesterday. The 10 states with highest case counts: California with 652,183. Florida 588,602. Texas 579,892. New York 427,803. Georgia 246,741. Illinois 215,052. Arizona 196,280. New Jersey 188,527. North Carolina 149,904. And Louisiana with 140,821 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the largest daily increases for August 21st: India 68,507. United States 45,341. Brazil 44,684, Colombia 11,541. Peru 8,639.

The 10 Countries with highest overall case counts:

The United States 5,573,501

Brazil 3,501,975

India 2,836,925

Russia 939,833

South Africa 599,940

Peru 558,420

Mexico 543,806

Colombia 502,178

Chile 391,849

And Spain with 377,906

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.

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Coronavirus 411 082020

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Thursday August 20th, 2020.

The FDA was getting ready last week to issue emergency authorization for blood plasma as a treatment for Covid-19. But health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci have intervened and now that’s on hold. They say the data on blood plasma treatment is too weak.

Pharmacists in all 50 states can now give childhood vaccinations. The head of Health and Human Services used coronavirus emergency powers to help stop vaccination rates from falling during the pandemic.

A former state health director says Arizona’s downward trend of cases means parts of the state could meet the three metrics set for a partial reopening of schools by Labor Day.

Meanwhile, in NYC, the president of the city’s largest teacher’s union says they’re prepared to strike unless the mayor makes major changes to the current school reopening plan. 

No more Public Health England. A reorganization will create a new National Institute for Health Protection. Critics say Public Health England is being made a scapegoat for mishandling of the pandemic.

Australia is serious about its lockdowns, extended four more weeks in Victoria. Police checkpoints are in place with sizable fines for anyone breaking the rules. Citizens report some of the larger checkpoints are monitored by military personnel.

Movie production was largely shut down by the coronavirus, but cameras are set to roll again in September in London on The Batman. The UK has also given the green light to resume production on Mission: Impossible 7.

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.

Hotspots displaying faster rates of growth as of August 20th, according to The New York Times: Top 10 U.S. counties: Lafayette and Suwannee Counties Florida. Chicot, Lincoln and Lee Counties, Arkansas. Phillips and Big Horn Counties, Montana. Pawnee, Kansas. Stephens, Texas. And Holt, Missouri. Globally, the current hotspots are: Aruba, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, Peru, Bahrain, Maldives, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, and Faroe Islands.

There’ve been 5,525,235 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 172,970 deaths. There were 45,075 new cases reported yesterday. The 10 states with highest case counts: California with 643,385. Florida 584,047. Texas 574,341. New York 427,202. Georgia 243,978. Illinois 213,209. Arizona 195,557. New Jersey 188,427. North Carolina 147,924. And Louisiana with 139,903 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the largest daily increases for August 20th: India 69,196. Brazil 48,541. United States 44,597. Colombia 13,056. Peru 9,099.

The 10 Countries with highest overall case counts:

The United States 5,525,235

Brazil 3,407,354

India 2,767,273

Russia 935,066

South Africa 596,060

Peru 549,321

Mexico 531,239

Colombia 489,122

Chile 390,037

And Spain with 370,867

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.

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Coronavirus 411 – 081920

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Wednesday August 19th, 2020.

An NBC News Tracking Poll shows 22% of American adults say they would not get a government-approved coronavirus vaccine even if there was one widely available. 44% say they would get the vaccine, 32% aren't sure.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order saying all hotels and AirBnB style properties must get travelers from restricted states to fill out quarantine forms before allowing access.

The University of Notre Dame reported 80 new cases, tripling their total infection number. That has them at levels close to what made UNC-Chapel Hill switch to all online classes.

Not a lot has been written about how COVID-19 has affected animals, but apparently, mink farms have been hit in Denmark and the U.S. The USDA confirmed the virus after farmers in Utah reported a rash of mink deaths.

The WHO Director-General is worried about vaccine nationalism. He wants countries to join a pact so that vaccines aren’t hoarded by some countries at the expense of others.

In an attempt to contain rising infections without shutting down its economy, France is now mandating masks in all workplaces.  

Britain’s official statistics agency reports rates of depression have almost doubled since their late March lockdown. 19.2% up from 9.7%.

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.

Hotspots displaying faster rates of growth as of August 19th, according to The New York Times: Top 10 U.S. counties: Lafayette and Suwannee Counties Florida. Chicot, Lincoln and Lee Counties, Arkansas. Phillips, Montana. Scott, Kansas. Stephens, Texas. Pawnee, Kansas. And Holt, Missouri. Globally, the current hotspots are: Aruba, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, Peru, Colombia, Bahrain, Panama, Maldives, Brazil, and Faroe Islands

There’ve been 5,481,557 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 171,793 deaths. There were 35,112 new cases reported yesterday. The 10 states with highest case counts: California with 638,140. Florida 579,932. Texas 568,812. New York 426,571. Georgia 241,677. Illinois 210,924. Arizona 194,920. New Jersey 188,098. North Carolina 146,779. And Louisiana with 139,125 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the largest daily increases for August 19th: India 65,022. Brazil 48,637. United States 43,999. Colombia 12,462. Peru 7,828.

The 10 Countries with highest overall case counts:

The United States 5,481,557

Brazil 3,407,354

India 2,702,742

Russia 930,276

South Africa 592,144

Peru 541,493

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Coronavirus 411 - 081820

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Tuesday August 18th, 2020.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York City’s museums and other cultural institutions will be allowed to reopen Aug. 24.

In Iowa, thousands of recent cases may have been falsely reported as happening in March, April, May and June according to a nurse practitioner in Iowa City who analyzed discrepancies in the state’s figures.

UNC Chapel Hill is switching to remote learning for all undergrad classes starting tomorrow after a number of cases emerged.

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine tells Reuters that in patients with mild COVID-19, immune responses last months, maybe even longer. Three months after recovery, patients still had antibodies, B cells, and T cells. They say this supports CDC advice patients don’t need to be retested within three months after infection.

Facebook says it took down 7M posts with covid-19 misinformation from Facebook and Instagram between April and June. They also put warnings on 98M posts, saying they were misleading but not harmful enough to remove.

Bus drivers in Sydney are talking about striking unless masks are required for passengers on crowded buses and social distancing on public transport is strictly enforced.

A week after that blast that devastated Beirut, they’ve reported a record number of new cases — 300 — as well as seven related deaths.

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.

Hotspots displaying faster rates of growth as of August 18th, according to The New York Times: Top 10 U.S. counties: Lafayette, Suwannee, and Union Counties Florida. Chicot, Lincoln and Lee Counties, Arkansas. Phillips, Montana. Scott, Kansas. And Stephens and Bee Counties, Texas. Globally, the current hotspots are: Aruba, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahrain, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Maldives, and Faroe Islands.

There’ve been 5,437,969 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 170,491 deaths. There were 42,048 new cases reported yesterday. The 10 states with highest case counts: California with 629,415. Florida 576,094. Texas 561,110. New York 425,916. Georgia 238,861. Illinois 209,185. Arizona 194,005. New Jersey 187,767. North Carolina 145,516. And Louisiana with 138,485 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the largest daily increases for August 18th: India 54,288. United States 40,612. Brazil 23,038. Colombia 8,328. Russia 4,892.

The 10 Countries with highest overall case counts:

The United States 5,437,969

Brazil 3,359,570

India 2,647,663

Russia 925,558

South Africa 589,886

Peru 535,946

Mexico 525,733

Colombia 468,332

Chile 387,502

And Spain with 359,082

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.

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Coronavirus 411 081720

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Monday August 17th, 2020.

Researchers from Yale created the SalivaDirect test, which got emergency use authorization from the FDA. It claims results inexpensively in 3 hours, with accuracy on par with nasal swabbing.

An Oklahoma State University off-campus sorority house is quarantined after 23 members tested positive. Residents can’t leave and the Health Department is monitoring those involved.

The CDC says the number and rate of cases in children have risen since the spring. They say the infection rate in children 17 and under increased “steadily” from March to July.

With fall and winter on the way, experts worry about a possible “twindemic,” a severe flu season combined with Covid-19. How worried are they? The CDC usually buys 500,000 doses of flu shots for uninsured adults, but this year ordered an additional 9.3M doses.

All retirement homes in New Zealand will be closed to everyone but staff and essential deliveries. This after New Zealand confirmed 9 new locally transmitted cases that broke the 102-day streak without recording a local infection.

Also in New Zealand, the Prime Minister is delaying the country's parliamentary election 4 weeks after reemergence of the virus.

France’s health ministry reported 3,015 new infections over the last 24 hours, that’s the second day in a row new cases surpassed 3,000.

Party’s over in Italy. They’ve shut down discos and clubs and are making masks compulsory even outdoors in some places between 6pm and 6am. Cases have double in 3 weeks and the average age of those affected is now below 40.

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.

Hotspots displaying faster rates of growth as of August 17th, according to The New York Times: Top 10 U.S. counties: Lafayette, Suwanee, Union, and Gulf Counties Florida. Chicot, Ark. Phillips, Mont.      Stephens and Bee Counties, Texas. Greensville, Va. And Scott, Kan. Globally, the current hotspots are: Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands, Sint Maarten, Bahrain, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Faroe Islands, Maldives, and Brazil.

There’ve been 5,402,803 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 170,028 deaths. There were 48,313 new cases reported yesterday. The 10 states with highest case counts: California with 628,873. Florida 573,416. Texas 555,187. New York 425,508. Georgia 237,030. Illinois 207,412. Arizona 193,537. New Jersey 187,455. North Carolina 144,952. And Louisiana with 137,918 confirmed cases.

The 5 Countries with the largest daily increases for August 17th, according to the WHO: India 58,108. United States 36,843. Brazil 22,365. Colombia 11,643. Peru 10,143.

The 10 Countries with highest overall case counts:

The United States 5,402,803

Brazil 3,340,197

India 2,589,682

Russia 920,719

South Africa 587,345

Peru 525,803

Mexico 517,714

Colombia 456,689

Chile 385,946

And Iran surpasses Spain on the list with 343,204

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Friday August 14th, 2020. California has crossed 600,000 cases of COVID-19, giving it the 5th highest case count in the world behind the U.S., Brazil, India and Russia. Florida and Texas are not far behind. The CDC is projecting 189,000 fatalities due to the virus by September 5th. The Senate did not reach an agreement on a new stimulus package, they are now on break through the end of August. The Governor of Georgia is dropping his lawsuit against city officials in Atlanta over a mandatory mask requirement. He will instead issue an executive order. 

France declared Paris and Marseilles as “zones of active circulation” allowing local authorities to implement necessary restrictions to combat the virus. New Zealand extended the lockdown in Auckland for 12 more days. Travelers from France, Malta and The Netherlands will have to quarantine for 14 days upon entering Britain. The UK set up deals with Novavax and Janssen’s vaccine candidate, adding an additional 90 million potential doses to their stockpile. Vietnam will purchase Russia’s potential vaccine, reports The Washington Post. 

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.  

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Thursday August 13th, 2020. There were 1,470 fatalities due to COVID-19 in the U.S. yesterday, the highest since mid-May. Over 2,000 students, teachers and employees from school districts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma have been placed under quarantine after potential exposure to the virus. For the first time since March, less than one million filed for first time unemployment benefits last week.  Movie Theater chain AMC will re-open more than 100 theaters next week. 

India surpassed Britain in total fatalities due to the virus and now has the 4th highest death rate in the world behind The U.S., Brazil and Mexico. Case rates are rising in France, Germany, Greece and Spain. New Zealand recorded 13 new cases linked to community transmission. The President of Argentina said Mexico and Argentina will produce AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate for all of Latin America, with the exception of Brazil.   Relaying the price of the potential vaccine will be between $3 and $4 per dose. Phase III clinical trials of Russia’s vaccine candidate will begin in The Philippines in October. 

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.  

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Wednesday August 12th, 2020. Florida and Georgia recorded their highest daily death toll on Tuesday. Over 900 students and teachers from a school district in Georgia will quarantine after potential exposure to the virus.   New Hampshire has made masks mandatory for any gathering of over 100.  The Federal Government signed a 1.5-billion-dollar deal with Moderna for 100 million doses of their potential vaccine. The American Medical Association are urging the Health and Human Services Secretary to update testing guidelines. The Big 10 and Pac 12 college conferences have cancelled all Fall sports.

The German Health Minister was one of many around the world unsure of Russia’s vaccine claim, stating,” It is not about being first, it is about having an effective, a tried and with that a safe vaccine”. Philippine President Duterte, said he would get the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, reports CNN. New Zealand has re-entered partial lockdown. Belgium is mandating face masks in the Brussels region. The UK’s economy shrunk by more than 20% in the second quarter, officially signaling a recession. 

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.  

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Tuesday August 11th, 2020. Global cases have crossed 20 million. The world added an additional 10 million cases in 6 weeks. The President has requested that the G7 summit be postponed until after the election, it was originally slated for June but postponed due to the pandemic.  The Mayor of New York City says he plans to “welcome 700,000 students back to school buildings for in person instruction” in September, reports The Washington Post. Illinois has made it a felony to assault a service worker who enforces the mask requirement. 

A Russian health care regulator has approved a vaccine for the coronavirus, despite the fact it has yet to complete Phase III clinical trials. Russia plans to vaccinate millions of citizens. A day after marking 100 days without any community transmission, New Zealand recorded 4 new cases of COVID-19. For the first time in 13 days, Japan has recorded less than 1,000 new daily cases. 

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.  

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for Monday August 10th, 2020. The U.S. added another one million cases in 17 days, bringing the total to 5 million. More than 97,000 children tested positive for the virus in the last two weeks of July, reports the American Academy of Pediatrics. President Trump singed an executive order for new unemployment benefits and extending the moratorium on evictions.  Good news out of New York state, as they logged their lowest positivity rate yet with .78. 

Greece recorded their highest daily case count with 203. The country reopened to tourists July 1st. India and Australia set a record for daily fatalities. Starting today, France will require masks be worn outdoors when social distancing is not possible. The British Prime Minister said the British government has a “moral duty” to get students back in the classroom in September.  New Zealand recognized 100 days with no local transmission of COVID-19. 

The locations of hotspots and U.S and Country diagnoses in a moment.  

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